Rectifier-equalizing system.



C. LE G. FORTESCUE.

RECTIFIER EQUALIZING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6,1915.

1 ,270,805. Patented July 2, 1918'.

AC. I

'XIXXXIXIIXXXXXXXXXX l l l l l4x l l 5k l .6X l l l l l l 'l l 'l l WITNESSESI INVENTOR Char/e5 LeG. frescue.

'ATTORNEY UNITED sTATEs .PATENT oEEIcE.

CHARLES LE G. FORTESCUE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIC'NOR'TO WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F PENN SYL- VAN IA.

RECTIFIER-EQUALIZING SYSTEM.-

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES LE G. Fon- TEscUE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county lof Allegheny and State of Penn-V sylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rectifier-Equalizing Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to systems of distribution that are adapted to be employed -in connection' with rectifiers, and it has for its object to provide means whereby a plurality of rectifying devices, operating in parallel with each other upon a given load, may each assume and maintain a definite portion of said load.

The single figure of the accom anying drawing is a diagrammatic view o a plurality of rectiliers o f the vapor arc type together with their attendant ing and load circuits. Y

In the operation of rectiiers of the vapor arc type, considerable dilliculty has been experienced in causing two of said devices to operate in parallel with each other upon a given load because of the fact that a vapor arc acts as a conductor of the second class. When, therefore, a single rectifier, for any reason, becomes more highly heated than the other rectiliers, its resistance falls by a .proportional amount and it takes more current and assumes a still higher temperature, and this process goes on, if unchecked, until the entire load flows in a vsingle rectifier. By my invention, I inductively interlink the supply circuits of a plurality of rectiers so that a disproportionate amount ofenergy supplied to any one rectifier will decrease the voltage to said rectifier, at the same time increasing the voltage supplied to the remaining rectiers, thus maintaining equilibrium and a predetermined load Adistribution.

Referring to the accompanying drawing for a more detailed understanding of my invention, a pair of mains lare connected to any suitable source of single-phase alternat-` ing current. Energy derived from the mains 1 flows through a suitable transformer 2 to a plurality of secondary windings 3, 4, 5 and 6,eacl1 of which is associated with an auxiliary transformer 7 7 and with a rectifier 8 8, preferably of the vapor arc type. Each of the auxiliary transformers 7 7 is Specification of Letters Patent.

supply, equalizmy invention, the operation is as follows: Upon startmg the rectiiers 8 8 by any Patented July 2, 1918.

application mea ny 6,11911'5. se'iai No. 28,435.

provided with a pair of primar windings which are connected respective y in leads from the terminals o the associated secondvof the transformer 2, as is customary in the rectifier art. Each of the transformers 7 7 1s provided with a secondary winding and all of said secondary windings are connected in series relation with each other by means of a suitable auxiliary equalizing circuit 10.

Having thus described the structure of suitable means, unidirectional current impulses flow alternately in the two halves of the primary winding of each of the transformers 7 7 and v induce electromotive lforces in the secondary windings thereof.

When each of the. rectifers 8 8 is carrying the same load, each of the transformers 7 7 will and there will be a iow of current in the cir.- cuit 10 determined by the rimary .load current and the ratio of transformation. `If now, for any reason, 011e of the rectifiers assumes more'than its proper share. of the total load, the associated transformer will 'develop a small choking or counter electromotive force effect and lower the voltage applied thereto. At the same time the voltage applied to the remaining rectiers will be slightly raised and proper division of the load will be regained.

- While I have shown my invention as applied to rectiiers of equal capacity, it may be applied to maintain a predetermined load 'distribution between rectiiiers of unequal capacity by suitable proportioning of the transformers 7 7.

While I have shown my invention in its preferred form, it is obvious to those skilled in lthe art that it is susceptible of various act as a current transformer minor changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that no limitation shall be placed thereupon except such as are imposed by the prior art or are speciically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim is my invention:

1. The combination with a direct current consumption circuit, of a plurality of rectifiers for supplying current thereto, and means providing an auxiliary load-distributing circuit interlinked therewith for adjusting the relative loads 4on each of said rectifiers in accordance with a predeter-v mined ratio.

2.- The combination with a direct current consumption circuit, of a plurality of rectiers connected to supply current thereto, means for supplying alternating current to said rectiers, and an auxiliary circuit inductively interlinked with the alternating current connections of each of said rectlfiers for maintaining a predetermined load distribution therebetween.

3. The combination with a plurality of rectiers, of connections for supplying alter- .nating current thereto, a transformer associated with each of said rectifiers and having its primary winding inserted in the alternating current connections thereof, and a circuit connecting` the secondary windings of all of said transformers, whereby the relative loads on said rectifiers will .be adjusted in accordance with a predetermined ratio.

4. The combination with a plurality of transformer cores and an auxiliary circuit connecting all of said secondary windings in series relation. v l

vIn testimony whereof, I have hereunto lcribed my name this 29th day of April,

CHARLES LE FORTESCUE. 

